Calling all lifting ladies who have achieved their body goal

Mistraal1981

I have been doing stronglifts 5x5 3 times a week for about 4 months. I have made strength gains and I can see small changes in my body. My goal is to have that sexy tight lean lifting body. I know I need to lose fat to show the muscles. I also know that diet is key to fat loss.

A guy recommended that I drop the weight slightly and aim for about 3 sets of 12 reps as that will help the fat loss while still building muscle. He reckoned I'd be fine to still do the 5x5 exercises but in a 3x12 format. Or do 4x5 heavy and 1x12 lighter of each of the exercises. (Hope I explained that clearly/right).

I went home and read up on lifting for strength and fat loss and there does seem to be support for there being a small difference in weight/rep and whether its better for strength or fat loss.

Now, I'm still new to this and I don't have the confidence to make up my own program and wasn't sure if it was even necessary. So I thought I'd ask you lovely ladies who have already achieved that amazing body what lifting routine you followed. Also, whether either of the altered 5x5 suggested above will help me towards my goal.

12by311

You said you need to lose more fat.

Bingo. Lose more fat. Keep lifting.

Mistraal1981

My query was more along the lines of lifting in a rep range that will help fat loss. Whether such a range actually exists and its worth changing up my programme or if there is no difference and there is no point changing what I currently do.

jemhh

IMO there is no real fat loss rep range. Generally, the rep range you're doing with SL is considered the strength rep range, 8-12 is hypertrophy, and over that is endurance. However, there is overlap and lifting in the 8-12 range will build strength--it's not like lifting at that range means you will never get stronger.

I think that you should pick what you want to do and just stick with it. Lots of people lose fat while doing SL. Lots of people lose fat doing AllPro's, which is a beginner program that is more hypertrophy based. People lose fat doing Greyskull LP, which is a mix (you do two sets of 5 and then one of as many reps as possible.) So you pretty much have to figure out which you like and go with it.

FWIW, I'm doing Strong Curves, which ranges from 8-12 and on up (some exercises there are up to 30 reps) and I am cutting fat right now. I do some straight sets and some pyramid sets. When I was on maintenance in November and December, I did only Greyskull LP. For me, lifting in the low rep range, which means more weight, is really difficult when I am eating in a deficit. In order to stay motivated, I need to see some progress and lifting at lower weight for more reps lets me do that when I am cutting. But that's me. We're all different.

Cherimoose

Since 3x12 is more total reps than 5x5, you'll burn slightly more calories.. but it's so slight that it's negligible. Either rep scheme will work about equally if you lift heavy. What's more important is that you're in a calorie deficit.

Your question isn't gender-specific.

jacksonpt

Diet + exercise at sufficient intensity will help you work towards your goals. Beyond that, it's just about patience and consistency.

There will not be a meaningful difference between 5 sets of 5 reps and 3 sets of 12 reps. IMO, if you're doing a program, follow the program. If you want to change programs, make sure you have a good reason for doing so. IMO, speeding up progress/results isn't a good reason... ultimately, there's no such thing. Progress is either slow or slower.

AliceDark

There are programs that have you working in the 8-12 rep range. I would do some research and choose one of them instead of modifying SL.

Mistraal1981

Thank you for the replies.

Once I'm in a routine I don't really like change unless its for a good reason. As the general consensus is that the change will have a negligible impact I think I will stick with what I am doing.

Mistraal1981

AliceDark wrote: »

There are programs that have you working in the 8-12 rep range. I would do some research and choose one of them instead of modifying SL.

Do you have any examples you recommend I can check out?

mike_bold

agreed on the set / rep range, probably not much in it. But what you could do decrease the weight a little and keep to a minute or 30 seconds rest between sets. Keeps the HR up, kind of a cross over with a cardio session

Fat4Fuel2

Adding some plyometric moves between sets would increase the intensity and calorie burn while working out. However, changing the reps won't make a huge difference. Plyometric are things that involve jumping and body weight like burpees, jumping lunges, etc.

AliceDark

Mistraal1981 wrote: »

AliceDark wrote: »

There are programs that have you working in the 8-12 rep range. I would do some research and choose one of them instead of modifying SL.

Do you have any examples you recommend I can check out?

Jamie Eason's LiveFit is a beginner program that works in higher rep ranges. It's an isolation program, so it's going to feel very different than SL. I've never done it, but it might be worth trying out.

3laine75

Higher reps won't help lose weight. You're working in the strength range ATM, 12 reps is more for hypertrophy (which you won't do much of at deficit). Your calories will dictate if you gain or lose.

If you're enjoying 5x5, stick with it - some guys in the gym just want to help out the little lady (one of the reasons I workout at home).

Mistraal1981

3laine75 wrote: »

Higher reps won't help lose weight. You're working in the strength range ATM, 12 reps is more for hypertrophy (which you won't do much of at deficit). Your calories will dictate if you gain or lose.

If you're enjoying 5x5, stick with it - some guys in the gym just want to help out the little lady (one of the reasons I workout at home).

Forgive my ignorance, I am still wrapping my head around the whole process. From what i understand, strength is just getting your muscles used to lifting heavy loads. (Also useful for helping to prevent muscle loss along with fat loss while eating at a deficit.) Hypertrophy is when muscles are getting bigger/more dense (? Please correct me if I'm wrong here, I'm still wrapping my head around this one.) And as such more muscle burns more fat?

The more I read about this stuff the more confused I get! /shakes fist in anger and lack of chocolate fuelled frustration at the man in gym!!*

(*NB I am not really angry at him. I'm glad he took time out of his day to offer advice, pushing me out of a comfort zone to explore other options. Its not his fault the other options are multitudinous and a bit too complicated for my little brain to understand!)

jemhh

All Pro's beginner routine is in the 8-12 rep range.

3laine75

Mistraal1981 wrote: »

3laine75 wrote: »

Higher reps won't help lose weight. You're working in the strength range ATM, 12 reps is more for hypertrophy (which you won't do much of at deficit). Your calories will dictate if you gain or lose.

If you're enjoying 5x5, stick with it - some guys in the gym just want to help out the little lady (one of the reasons I workout at home).

Forgive my ignorance, I am still wrapping my head around the whole process. From what i understand, strength is just getting your muscles used to lifting heavy loads. (Also useful for helping to prevent muscle loss along with fat loss while eating at a deficit.) Hypertrophy is when muscles are getting bigger/more dense (? Please correct me if I'm wrong here, I'm still wrapping my head around this one.) And as such more muscle burns more fat?

The more I read about this stuff the more confused I get! /shakes fist in anger and lack of chocolate fuelled frustration at the man in gym!!*

(*NB I am not really angry at him. I'm glad he took time out of his day to offer advice, pushing me out of a comfort zone to explore other options. Its not his fault the other options are multitudinous and a bit too complicated for my little brain to understand!)

Yes - you've got it. And yes, lifting at deficit will make you stronger while maintaining your lean mass.

I just think it's important to stick to a programme, as a beginner, that way you are following a plan made by a professional and are pretty much guaranteed results.

Glad you enjoyed the session with the guy helping you out but he won't be there all the time and it's not great to design your own programme when you're just getting into it. Doesn't really matter if he sounded like he knew his stuff either, he doesn't know your goals (and doesn't seem to know losing is about calorie deficit and not rep ranges).

If you enjoyed the higher reps more, find a routine that incorporates it e.g. Strong Curves, all pro's. That's the most important thing IMO, to enjoy what you're doing.

Don't try to alter an existing programme at this point. Good luck with it